EU force to guard Nabucco - report
A special force to be set up under the European
Union will be in charge of ensuring security of the Nabucco
pipeline to pump gas from the Caspian and Central Asia regions to
Europe, Turkey`s Milliyet newspaper reported.
The report said that, though just a few days have passed since the governments of the transit states signed an agreement on building the conduit, the issue of the pipeline`s security has already been placed on the agenda. Since the pipeline will stretch for 3,300 kilometers, security measures will encompass a vast area.
The prime ministers of transit countries - Turkey, EU member states Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria - signed a deal on July 13 on launching construction of the Nabucco pipeline, a remarkable step toward diversifying EU energy supplies. Over half of the conduit - 2,017 km - will go through Turkey, while 392 km - through Bulgaria, 457 km through Romania, 388 km via Hungary, and 46 km via Austria.
According to Milliyet, under Turkey`s current legislation, domestic security for such projects is usually vested in the local police. In other countries, pipelines are safeguarded by management firms. In the case of Nabucco, it being a trans-national project necessitates a common security system. Therefore, such a security service is to be established under the EU`s auspices. However, this requires introducing some amendments to Turkish laws.
Moscow `not jealous`
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said Moscow "is not jealous" about the Western-backed Nabucco pipeline that will bypass Russia.
"We feel absolutely no jealousy toward the Nabucco project. Let it develop. If gas is pumped into Nabucco, it means someone needs this but, so far, no one has managed to explain to me where this gas will come from," Russian RIA Novosti news agency quoted Medvedev as saying at a news conference in Munich on Thursday.
The Nabucco pipeline, which will run from eastern Turkey to the Austrian capital, Vienna, close to the Baumgarten gas hub, and is expected to come online in 2014. When fully operational, it could carry 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually and supply between five to ten percent of the EU`s projected gas consumption in 2020. Azerbaijan, Iraq and Egypt are considered the main suppliers for Nabucco. Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Iran may supply gas for the conduit, as well.
The report said that, though just a few days have passed since the governments of the transit states signed an agreement on building the conduit, the issue of the pipeline`s security has already been placed on the agenda. Since the pipeline will stretch for 3,300 kilometers, security measures will encompass a vast area.
The prime ministers of transit countries - Turkey, EU member states Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Austria - signed a deal on July 13 on launching construction of the Nabucco pipeline, a remarkable step toward diversifying EU energy supplies. Over half of the conduit - 2,017 km - will go through Turkey, while 392 km - through Bulgaria, 457 km through Romania, 388 km via Hungary, and 46 km via Austria.
According to Milliyet, under Turkey`s current legislation, domestic security for such projects is usually vested in the local police. In other countries, pipelines are safeguarded by management firms. In the case of Nabucco, it being a trans-national project necessitates a common security system. Therefore, such a security service is to be established under the EU`s auspices. However, this requires introducing some amendments to Turkish laws.
Moscow `not jealous`
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said Moscow "is not jealous" about the Western-backed Nabucco pipeline that will bypass Russia.
"We feel absolutely no jealousy toward the Nabucco project. Let it develop. If gas is pumped into Nabucco, it means someone needs this but, so far, no one has managed to explain to me where this gas will come from," Russian RIA Novosti news agency quoted Medvedev as saying at a news conference in Munich on Thursday.
The Nabucco pipeline, which will run from eastern Turkey to the Austrian capital, Vienna, close to the Baumgarten gas hub, and is expected to come online in 2014. When fully operational, it could carry 31 billion cubic meters of gas annually and supply between five to ten percent of the EU`s projected gas consumption in 2020. Azerbaijan, Iraq and Egypt are considered the main suppliers for Nabucco. Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Iran may supply gas for the conduit, as well.
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